IsaiahChapter 21
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1This is the message of judgment against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the Negev,
an attacker comes from the desert,
from a land of terror. 2A terrible vision has been shown to me:
"The traitor still betrays.
The destroyer still destroys.
Go up, Elam! Attack, Media!
I will put an end to all her groaning." 3So my body is full of pain.
Pain grabs me, like a woman giving birth.
What I hear makes me dizzy.
What I see makes me afraid. 4My heart is weak.
Fear makes me shake.
I longed for the evening.
But now it has turned to horror. 5They set the table.
They spread out the rugs.
They eat, they drink!
Get up, you princes! Oil the shields! 6This is what the Lord says to me:
"Go, put a lookout in place.
Have him report what he sees. 7He may see chariots with teams of horsemen,
riders on donkeys, or riders on camels.
Then he must watch closely, very closely." 8Then the lookout shouted,
"Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower.
Night after night I stay at my post. 9Look, here come the riders,
horsemen in pairs."
Then someone answered,
"Babylon has fallen, it has fallen!
All the statues of her gods lie broken on the ground!" 10My people, you have been crushed like grain on the threshing floor.
I tell you what I have heard from the LORD of Hosts,
the God of Israel. 11This is the message of judgment against Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
"Watchman, how much of the night is left?
Watchman, how much of the night is left?" 12The watchman answers,
"Morning has come, but night has come too.
If you want to ask, then ask.
Come back again." 13This is the message of judgment against Arabia:
You caravans of the Dedanites,
you must camp in the thickets of Arabia. 14You people who live in Tema,
bring water for the thirsty.
Meet the refugees with food. 15For they run from the sword, the sword that is drawn.
They run from the bow that is bent.
They run from the hard fighting of battle. 16This is what the Lord says to me:
"In one year, counted the way a hired worker counts,
all the glory of Kedar will be gone. 17Only a few archers will be left,
only a few warriors of Kedar."
For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.